10 Minute Prompts
by Enkida
Summary: Exactly what the tin says. 10 minute drabble prompts based on a word or phrase. Don't come in expecting greatness. Goggles and safety gloves may be required, though.
1. Bushes

_**AN:** This is just a 10 minute prompt drabble-writing exercise I found on the forums here. I took part to clear some writer's block and this popped out. I might add to it every time I get a bit of writer's block, it's only 10 timed minutes of my life. Enjoy!_

* * *

 **PROMPT:** "bushes"

 **TIME LIMIT:** 10 minutes

 **CHARACTERS:** Selphie, Irvine, Zell

* * *

The bushes were rustling.

"What do you think it is?" Irvine pushed his hat back and shouldered his shotgun. "We're on the Island Closest to Hell. It's probably something big."

Selphie clapped her hands and jumped up and down, then unfolded her nunchaku. "I _hope_ it's something big! I've got a Limit Break ready and I've always wanted to see flowers growing here!"

Zell was cracking his neck. "I'm not sure we should've done this without Squall or Rinoa here. I mean, it's bad enough we stole the Ragnarok without askin' them."

" _Borrowed_ ," Selphie corrected him, bouncing in place. "Wait, I think it's coming out -"

A low growl sounded, and Zell dipped into a crouch. Irvine pointed his gun and narrowed his eyes. Selphie... kept bouncing, as usual. They waited, as the leaves parted, and ... The creature that emerged from the bushes was blasted into a corona of light. The three SeeDs heard a mournful howl as it flew high in the air, then landed in a blackened, steaming clump before them.

"Irvine!" Selphie yelled. "I _told_ you I had a Limit Break ready! Why'd you spoil my fun by using your Pulse Ammo?" The twinkle in her eye was suggesting that Selphie's Limit Break still had a very real danger of being used, even if not on an enemy creature.

"I have an itchy trigger finger when I get nervous," Irvine hedged, rubbing the back of his head. He looked over as Zell made a low noise of dismay. "What? Isn't it dead?"

"Oh, it's dead all right," Zell managed to answer, looking sick. "I think you better start running, though."

"Yeah," Selphie agreed, still whirling her nunchaku around.

"No, I mean remember how Rinoa lost her dog the last time she used Angelo Cannon?" Zell said hesitantly, poking the smoking mass of flesh and burned fur again. "I think we found him."

Irvine swallowed. It wasn't always the best idea to go around trying to kill the lapdog of the world's Most Powerful Living Sorceress. He knew; he'd asked Seifer about it before. "Uh... let's get going before she finds out, guys," he tried.

Selphie was having none of it. "Don't worry, Rinoa's never going to find you." She smiled and raised her weapon over her head. "THE END!"


	2. Ambush

Prompt: **Ambush**

 **Characters: Zell, Selphie, Seifer**

 **SONGFIC ALERT CAN YOU SPOT IT**

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"All right, now hang on for one more minute." Zell held his hand up in warning.

Selphie frowned, crossing her arms. "Why did you drag me into this again? Don't you remember what I did to Irvine the last time?"

Zell took a moment to shudder. "Riiight. But c'mon, this is Seifer. He destroyed Trabia! Where's your Garden Spirit?"

"Right here in Balamb," Selphie answered tartly. She crouched down and peered around the building, looking at the docks. "Are you sure about this though? He kinda looks down on his luck, if you ask me. I mean, I would be, flunking out of SeeD, getting possessed by a crazy maniac Sorceress, killing a whole bunch of innocent people, having my girlfriend dump me for Squall... who _wouldn't_ be depressed?"

"That's not the point!" Zell cracked his knuckles. "He's called me Chickenwuss one too many times, and you know what? Last week he pelted me with hotdogs. _Hotdogs_ , Selphie! I could've eaten those."

Selphie put her head in her hands. "Can't you just... I don't know, sleep with him instead or something? The man is pelting you with hotdogs, for Hyne's sake. That's as unsubtle as it gets."

Zell sputtered furiously. "First of all, he's a Trepie."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't want to get in your pants," Selphie noted.

"SECOND OF ALL," Zell blustered, "He's the one who switched your hairgel with the superglue."

"He's going down," Selphie said viciously, rising to her feet and drawing her weapon.

Zell yanked the small girl back down. "No! We gotta do this my way! You said you wanna make him feel better? I'll make him feel better AND we'll get even at the same time. Now, you ready with that Limit Break?"

"You're starting to make The End feel cheap," Selphie grumbled, but gave him a nod.

"Then get ready. On my mark..." Zell formed his hands into the proper symbols, and Selphie waited.

.x.x.x.

Seifer looked up from the sunlight reflecting along the water. "&$*#! What's it gonna take to get that Chickenwuss to notice me?" he grumbled to himself. "If he can't understand the hot dog thing, maybe he's really not The One." He took a moment from wallowing in his self-pity to wonder why he heard the faint sound of a whistle behind him. The ground began to rumble, and Seifer's brow furrowed. He turned around, and let out a silent scream of horror as the Guardian Force approached him at breakneck speeds.

"People all over the world! Join hands! Start a love train! A looooove traaaaiiiin!"

The modified Doomtrain hit Seifer with the full fury of the sparkling hearts, flowers and stars that trailed after it, leaving rainbow tracks in its wake.


	3. Isolated System

**Prompt:** Isolated System

 **Time Limit:** 10 minutes (this took 12 with edits)

 **Characters:** Quistis, Seifer

* * *

Quistis sighed and dropped her head into her hands. The school reports were piling up on her desk, the Lunch Lady had requested a one-on-one meeting to discuss something - _Hyne knew what_ \- that Zell had done with their frozen supply of hot dogs, and Squall was on a date with Rinoa.

The last one, she reminded herself firmly, shouldn't be an issue that bothered her anymore. Straightening her papers for the twenty-second time that day - she was keeping count - Quistis tried to focus on her work.

The beep of the door sounded, and Quistis dropped her pencil with a groan. "Come in," she called out, careful to keep the irritation from bleeding into her voice.

"Hey." Seifer smirked at her. "Just where I thought you'd be, Quisty. Trapped behind your desk, grading papers."

"Don't call me that," Quistis said immediately. "And unlike some parties in this room, I actually care about getting things done around here in a timely manner."

Seifer crossed his arms and leaned against her desk, disrupting one of the neat piles she had straightened just moments before. Quistis' fingers twitched.

"It's a holiday, Trepe. If you'd unclench your asscheeks for just two seconds, you might know that." He frowned. "Seriously. You didn't even remember it's the Spring Festival today? Seffie wanted you in the band this time. Keyboards, she said."

Quistis winced. "Isn't that usually Irvine's job?"

"They're on the outs ever since that thing with Angelo," Seifer told her. "Also, Squall told Irvine not to show up for a while, at least until he can get Rinoa to stop Angel Winging and flinging the Zombie spells around every time she sees him."

Quistis hid her smirk and plastered her usual stern expression across her face. "I just have too much work to do to participate in the Festival this year," she told him firmly. "So go on and enjoy yourself. If I manage to finish this up in time, I'll join you all later."

Seifer drummed his fingers on his arm, looking her out of the corner of his eye. "You know," he started.

"No, I don't. Get out," Quistis said curtly.

"Now come on! See, that's why you have Trepies instead of friends!" Seifer glared at her. "Look, if _I_ could weasel my way back into Balamb Garden's good graces, it's only gonna be that much easier for you. Why're you holding yourself back like this?"

Quistis bit her lip, finally abandoning her pencil. "Because they're going to be there," she admitted slowly. "Doesn't it bother you? To see your former girlfriend out there, dancing with the Commander?"

Seifer smirked. "First off, his name is Squall, and now that I've got my memories back, I'm never gonna think of him as anything else than the kid who once wore his underwear outside of his pants. Backwards."

Quistis muffled another smile; she remembered that.

"Secondly, you just have to move on, you know? Rinoa's not my girlfriend anymore. She's Squall's. Fine, it sucks, but that doesn't mean I can't stop looking for a new one, right?"

Quistis blinked slowly and looked up at Seifer. Her brow furrowed. "Aren't you a Trepie?"

"Only because you won't let me be anything else," he answered her. Then he held out his hand. "Come on. Loosen up. You're not a machine, Instructor."

Sighing, Quistis stood up reluctantly. "I suppose you're right. I could use a break, and it might not be completely terrible if you'll trade more stories with me."

Seifer gave her a sharkish grin and pulled her towards the door. "Now you're talking, Quisty."

Quistis narrowed her eyes at him. "It's Quistis. Don't push your luck, _Seifie_."


End file.
